Agriculture in Business

Archive for August, 2010

I do not see any connection between ’sustainable’ agriculture and water conservation. Any crop can be grown only when it is provided with that much water for that length of time for it to complete its life cycle.

Sustainable Agriculture: The Basics

Some terms defy definition. "Sustainable agriculture" has become one of them. In such a quickly changing world, can anything be sustainable? What do we want to sustain? How can we implement such a nebulous goal? Is it too late? With the contradictions and questions have come a hard look at our present food production system and thoughtful evaluations of its future. If nothing else, the term "sustainable agriculture" has provided "talking points," a sense of direction, and an urgency, that has sparked much excitement and innovative thinking in the agricultural world.

The word "sustain," from the Latin sustinere (sus-, from below and tenere, to hold), to keep in existence or maintain, implies long-term support or permanence. As it pertains to agriculture, sustainable describes farming systems that are "capable of maintaining their productivity and usefulness to society indefinitely. Such systems… must be resource-conserving, socially supportive, commercially competitive, and environmentally sound." [John Ikerd, as quoted by Richard Duesterhaus in "Sustainability’s Promise," Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (Jan.-Feb. 1990) 45(1): p.4. NAL Call # 56.8 J822]

"Sustainable agriculture" was addressed by Congress in the 1990 "Farm Bill" [Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (FACTA), Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1603 (Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1990) NAL Call # KF1692.A31 1990]. Under that law, "the term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:

satisfy human food and fiber needs;
enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends;
make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls;
sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and
enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole."

[Subchapter I: Findings, Purposes, and Definitions, U.S. Code, Title 7, Chapter 64-Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching, Available at GPO Access: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/
getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+7USC3103 (8/23/07)]

when all the cooking oil is used up. The supply of U.S. cooking oil isn’t as big as our petroleum supplies. Our agriculture system can’t keep up with it either. Remember how the cost of food went up when we converted part of our corn crops to ethanol production? It will happen with the cooking oil too.

in the first place, the price of food never went up because we started converting corn into bio-diesel.
the reason the price of food went up was the price of diesel went up, thereby increasing the cost of transportation.
that is the reason why they started converting corn into biodiesel in the first place.
And U.S. cooking oil is also make from corn, which means that it is a renewable resource.
And only makes sense to convert it into a usable product instead of dumping it.

Hi there, can you please help me, I need to know as much as I can about GPS auto steer in agriculture.
Why?
How?
Set up/equipment required?
Providers?
Ongoing costs?

everything you can help me with please!!!!

Thanks in advance

Why- Accuracy, driver fatigue, fuel, seed, fertilizer, chemical savings.
How-The first answerer gave a good explanation of how GPS works. A GPS receiver is connected to the tractor/combine/applicator’s steering hydraulics and controls the steering. How much money you want to spend determines the accuracy. Most standard auto-steer systems are sub meter, but for enough investment you can get down to sub inch accuracy (this requires ground stations in addition to satelites).
Equipment required-GPS antenna, receiver, steering control box and instructions.
Providers- Outback, John Deere (Greenstar), Auto Farm, Trimble, Raven. That’s not all but it’s a list of the ones that have been around longest.
Cost-The higher end autosteer (sub inch accuracy) can run $50,000 +. Outback is a good sub meter system and you can get into it for under $6,000. If you subscribe to a service, there is a yearly subscription cost to get connected to the satelites, or you can use a free one (WAAS is one I use).

The pesticide DDT concentrates in the fat of animals and tends to remain in the soil despite heavy rain that washes away other contaminants. What do these observations tell you about the nature of the DDT molecule? What does it gave to do with Polarity?

DDT is chemically stable so it last long time.DDT is stable because it is a chemical that have chlorine,which combines with other atoms strongly, in the molecule.Combining strongly means that it is hard to decompose.

our class was ordered to write an essay in economics lesson, but i heard it only yesterday because iwas ill. i find some information from internet but i have to paraphrase that text, can you help me with that.
P.S. I’m from Kazakhstan and time is15:35 now and i have to pass by 17:00. Please……..
here is a text.
Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion. The process continues with key moves in 2005 including the sale of equity in China’s largest state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond markets.

Try free eassys for you on the web.

My old Hort class isn’t making…what can I say to make it more interesting to students?

You could either go the global warming method: Learn how to survive global warming by growing your own food indoors kind of thing.
OR you could use the words "kind" "green" "hydro" etcetera without overtly alluding to growing da weed.

39.
All of the following statements are true, except: (1 point)

* The US is largest producer of corn in the world.
* Corn is the main cattle and production animal feed in the US.
* Almost all of the corn grown in the US is exported.
* Corn alcohol is distilled to make the cleaner fuel called ethanol.

40.
All of the following statements are true, except:

(1 point)

* Tractors allowed farmers to be more productive and changed human lifestyles.
* The US is considered a major agricultural nation.
* Agriculture in the US has to follow the strict environmental laws of the US Farm Bill.
* There are currently no inspection services for food grown in the US.

41.
__________________ maintains balance in an ecosystem. (1 point)

* Sustainable land use
* Genetic engineering

* Deforestation
* Combustion

42.
_____________ is a technology which bypasses all natural barriers that prevent different organisms from breeding. The technology removes DNA material from one organism and plants it in a different organism s DNA.

(1 point)

* Biodiversity
* Genetic engineering
* Bioremediation
* Hemodialysis

43.
_____________ is a fuel source made from the byproducts of the agricultural industry such as leftover straw from fields of grain, vines from pumpkin farms, or wood chips from lumber processing. (1 point)

* Fertilizer
* Nuclear energy
* Biomass fuels
* Bio-plastic
It’s amazing how many stupid answers you can get from douche-bags who only respond with smart-ass comments like that, only because they don’t know the answers themselves. I finished this 10 minutes ago queer-mo. So thanks for nothing.

1 almost all corn exported 2 there are no inspections on food grown in the Us 3 sustainable land use 4 genetic eng. 5bio-mass fuel sorry i did not use your numbers how did I do???

I intend to set up a farm in Africa.I’m Chinese.25 years old.I wish to do somethings now.Because I have no money now.I own only 10thousands $.Three years ago, My relative uncle went to Africa.He was construction contractor.He is really capable dude.So he had made a big pile.He told me Africa agriculture investment is good business.Some one had became "new rich" in the investment.I know It’s dangerous.But My girlfirend told me If I can’t become "new rich" .She will never marry me.LOLLLL.So I must take a Chance.LOLLLL.All my firends and relative oppose me.They think It’s too dangerous idea.But I wish to konw white guys’ advice.Specially investment expert’s advice.
in addition ,My familly can invest 150thousands dollar.

you realize that africa is a huge importer of ag commodities, because the ground is largely infertile, right?

Houston has so much cheap, abundant and fertile land, but I do not see much agriculture in the area. When I used to live in San Francisco Bay Area, I have seen small farms in the suburbs despite the exorbitant land prices. What gives?

Actually, that’s not true. You mustn’t have seen much of Houston yet. Actually, Harris County is the #1 place in the U.S with the most horses I think. Surprising I know, but true. You just have to drive far enough

This is the first of three sections of “Growing against the Grain.” The video is about farmers in Audubon County in southwest Iowa who are working to build healthy food systems and farms, put the culture back in agriculture, and restore a lost spirit to their communities. They are doing this through sustainable farming practices and direct marketing their products to the consumer.

It was produced in 2001 by Helen D. Gunderson of Gunder-friend Productions for the Audubon County Family Farms with support from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Practical Farmers of Iowa. The complete show is 30 minutes long. www.gunderfriend.com http://www.leopold.iastate.edu www.practicalfarmers.org

Duration : 0:8:51

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